A SCHOOL has issued a warning to parents to be on their guard against internet craze Nek Nomination.

The Facebook game sees people nominated to film themselves downing or ‘necking’ vast quantities of alcohol in an extreme manner, leading to nominees taking part in extreme stunts including jumping into freezing water.

Nek Nomination, believed to have originated in Australia and quickly went viral, has been linked to two deaths in the UK.

Now, Chipping Sodbury School has warned parents to be vigilant against their children taking part after several students reported being nominated in the game.

In a letter to parents, the school said: “When young people are nominated, there is then strong social pressure on them to drink such mixtures and then to nominate others.

“There have been reports and footage which show some people then going on to drink other harmful substances or putting themselves in risky situations while under the influence of alcohol. Several deaths have been reported as a result of these actions.

“We know that some of our students have posted themselves doing a Nek Nomination and a worrying number of students say that they have been nominated. Some are feeling considerable peer pressure to get involved.”

It added: “We ask that parents are vigilant about their children’s use of the internet which is where these nominations are made.

“Please discuss with your children the dangers of getting involved.”

Facebook has resisted calls to remove links to Nek Nomination pages.

Aspokesman for the social network said: "We do not tolerate content which is directly harmful, for example bullying, but controversial or offensive behaviour is not necessarily against our rules.

"We encourage people to report things to us which they feel breaks our rules so we can review and take action on a case by case basis. We also give people the ability to remove themselves from an uncomfortable conversation through tools such as untagging and blocking."

Ipsoregulated

This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here